Chapter 12:

Daniel Xander, Chapter 12: Daniel vs Penelope

Daniel Xander, Novel 0: Awakening


It took them about about 45 minutes to reach the border wall, what with the evening traffic and all. Once there Penelope led him straight to the top where there were a ton of huge, burly men on patrol. Apparently, the presence of a very powerful and respectable individual made patrolling in the night and morning unnecessary. An individual Penelope refused to name when Daniel asked her who it was.
Well, that hardly mattered for now. Right now, all he could really think of was the kind of duel Penelope had planned for him. A duel against her. Well, things were bound to be interesting. They'd been walking for some time now and Daniel couldn't help but gasp for air desperately as his lungs started to ache. After some more time, Penelope abruptly paused in front of him.
Right now, Daniel could see a region of the top wider than the rest. It was a huge circle of concrete, no less than 8 meters in radius, it's circumference bulging outwards from the ends of the top of the wall. It looked like a circular ring.... But why here?
Penelope dropped Arthur who darted straight to the edge of the ring and curled up there. Daniel had to fight the urge to shout caution. Looking around, he saw that there were no guards around the place and the forest in which the wall disappeared seemed just slightly closer from here. The closest guards were nothing but tiny specks much farther away from here. Two other figures were just a bit more visible behind him.
"Well, here we are." Said Penelope jumping straight into the air from where she stood and landing with a loud thud on the other side of the circular ring as Daniel gaped. Casually leaping 10 meters into the air and landing 20 meters away. Totally normal. Then again, she'd jumped right from the border wall, holding him over her head. This sort of thing was totally normal for her. Which meant it could become normal for him as well if he followed her and trained hard.
Daniel stepped into the ring himself.
"The aim of this training is simple." Said Penelope rather loudly from the other side of the ring, "If you are able to land a single hit on me, you pass the test and we move on. We will do this every evening until you are able to land a hit on me."
"Right." Said Daniel feeling a sense of dread but he didn't know what else to say so he simply mimicked Bartemius's stance.

She took a stance of her own, her feet planted apart and her hands at her sides.
"I want to observe your style first. Which is why I would not be using my Imperium just yet. I will drop a simple trick to make your movement more fluid and something to ease the burden of the weights." She said.
"Yeah-ok." Replied Daniel.
"Try your best to create a combination. Remember, anything goes. you can kick, punch, scratch, whatever you want. The aim is to land just a hit on me. You get it? After we start fighting with Imperiums, things will change, but not too drastically."
Daniel nodded and tried to think. What would work against Penelope-someone so strong she could probably send Daniel flying with the tip of her finger. There wasn't a clear answer to this question. Nothing he had tried had worked against Bartemius. It was hard to just imagine a combination when they were this distance apart. But at the same time, there was no point just standing here and trying to imagine a move that probably wouldn't work. So should he simply close the distance for now?
Without thinking much about it Daniel pushed forward. Unfortunately, his dread had made him forget about the weights. He had pretty much gotten used to standing still in them without thinking too much about the pain. But walking in them was still painful enough to drive him; and running was physically impossible for him. So instead of what he imagined was charging forward at full speed, Daniel lumbered forward, almost losing balance. However he was able to regain his footing quickly enough to avoid falling on his face.
But he was still pathetically slow. It felt almost comical. He refused to think what his attempt at running might look like to an outsider. Pretty much like an aggressive walk forward.
But it looked like Penelope wasn't treating him lightly. She was still standing there firm as ever, her stance airtight. The fact that she wasn't even going to take an idiot weakling like Daniel lightly was all the motivation he needed. She had confidence in him. He wouldn't disappoint her. He wouldn't give anything less than his all.
This thought process hardly seemed to help Daniel's physical prowess, however. He planted his feet harder into the ground and pushed forward harder with every step, gritting his teeth.
He reached her and swung out with his fist, feinting a strike at her face. Just as she raised her hand slowly to probably block it or shove him aside, he brought up his knee, hoping to catch her in the stomach.
She sidestepped as casually as if she was avoiding a puddle and grabbed the back of Daniel's shirt lifting him up like a leaf and tossed him aside, but not too hard. He landed on his back with a grunt as pain flared through every part of his body. But he wasn't done. Immediately, he rose from the ground, propping himself onto his elbows first, then knees, and finally getting to his feet, he made an attempt to run forward again. This fall; it was nothing compared to how he'd toppled down the stairs not so long ago. He'd gotten up with no one around then. He could sure as hell get up while this training.
This time, Penelope's expression changed very, very slightly. He was almost certain she looked delighted. He ran forward again, this with the sole motive of landing a decisive blow this time. He struck out again, just as she dodged, almost casually. He ran forward again, this with the sole motive of landing a decisive blow this time. He struck out again, just as she dodged, almost casually. Ok. She was basically toying with him. He turned and, almost hitting her with the back of his hand.
This time she kicked out almost lightly and caught him in the chest. He grunted and fell back even though it looked like she hadn't put any force behind that kick. His body awakened to the slightly forgotten pain as he gasped for air, his arms and legs flailing helplessly at his sides. His blurry vision was something he'd almost gotten used to but it was still weird how many times he'd been knocked down in a single day. He didn't know how long he was down for, but eventually, his head cleared up and he got to his feet with much difficulty.
"That wasn't bad at all." Said Penelope, "Your durability really has increased quite a bit."
"You think so?" Asked Daniel, rubbing his aching back.
"Yes." She replied, "Now all you need is a new strategy. Remember, you can do absolutely anything to land a hit on me. Anything at all. So don't hesitate to try any idea, no matter how crazy. This includes use of your surroundings, exploiting my weaknesses or compulsions, personal attacks, anything."
"Right, I will try." Said Daniel, though he wasn't feeling hopeful at all. There was nothing he could use in his head. He didn't know what he could possibly use against her.
"So, anything goes?" He asked.
"Like I said, anything at all." She replied again, beckoning him towards her and taking a stance again.
Anything at all. Any idea. No matter how crazy. He had nothing. Nothing usable against her. Nothing at all. But he still had to try.

He charged forward again, though he knew his attempt was going to be in vain. Without attaining at least average semi mortal strength, he had no chance. She dodged his attack again, but she wasn't loosening up, even though he was pathetically weak.
But he knew; even though she wasn't showing it, she was disappointed.
After 45 minutes of fruitless efforts, Daniel collapsed, his chest rapidly rising and falling. He had been wrong in thinking he had gotten used to the pain. It was still beyond all fathom. An inexplicable tide of agony constantly washing over him.
But Penelope still hadn't told him he was a useless or hopeless case, so he wasn't giving up any time soon. Her words from this morning still rang in his head. Was this enough take his dive to change himself away? No way. But at the same time came a more snide voice, is this really worth it?
"Time to pull you out of your head, I suppose." Said Penelope, interrupting his thoughts and pulling him to his feet.
"Sorry, it's just that-" he began.
"I understand." She said before he could finish, "I will remind you again, use your head what you really need to use it for. And right now, you need to use it to find a strategy to beat me. Not to find another reason to look down on yourself. That is where you heart comes in."
"How so?"
"Fighting spirit, remember?"
Daniel smiled in spite of himself. Of course, she was there to remind him why he was really there. And he was really very grateful for that. He'd almost forgotten about his commitment from earlier in the morning. He had to use his head to find the solutions to his problems, not excuses to run away. He wasn't even gonna consider running away no matter what.
But then, how to beat her? There had to be a way, right?
Come on, think, he urged himself, there has to be something.
Then, something so crazy struck him, he almost immediately dismissed it. But wait, even though this idea was unbelievably crazy, it wouldn't hurt to try, right?
Of course it wouldn't hurt. Because if he made one single wrong prediction, it would immediately kill him. It all came down to whether or not he had the courage to do this; or rather whether or not he was crazy enough to.
Perhaps, it was the pain which dazed his ability to make rational decisions that he did what he did next.

"So you said anything goes, right?" He asked Penelope.
"That means I can use your personal obligations against you?" He asked, at which, she frowned.
"That's a bit too specific, but I suppose, yes."
Daniel nodded. Slowly, at the pace he was comfortable with, he walked to the edge, looked back at Penelope who was still standing there, and he jumped.
He didn't think a lot about anything as he plummeted downwards and the wind whistled around him. He was feeling pretty ok. To this day he has no idea why he did what he did. All he knew was that Penelope would catch him.
His prediction was correct as well. He suddenly felt a steel arm tightly grip his shoulder, turn him and move him around in mid air. He hadn't even realised that his eyes had been closed until now. He opened them just as the world came spinning into view.
BAM!
For the second time today, they hit the ground as dust rose around them. Just as Penelope prepared to settle Daniel down with a furious expression, Daniel raised his hand and punched out, hitting her lightly on the arm.
"What in the world was that?" She demanded; and even though her voice was level, her expression was one of barely contained anger.
"Well...." His voice trailed off into silence. Why had he done what he had done just now? He'd jumped from the top of the wall...to land a hit on Penelope. And if she hadn't caught him, he would have been flattened. Almost immediately, the nausea took over and Daniel threw up.
Had he been delirious? He'd jumped from over 200 feet, and for what?
As if sensing he had come to his senses, Penelope sighed and looked away.
Daniel's whole body ached worse than before. He felt absolutely sick.
"I will make it very clear: I do not condone self harm even when it is to beat a superior adversary. A decisive victory is the victory that counts in my book." Penelope said, her voice a low growl, "However, even though you used a tactic I cannot respect, you did fulfill the condition, you landed a hit on me."
She gave him a grudging look and continued, "I don't know what forced you to take on this tactic, but I cannot deny you did use my personal obligation of saving your life against me. And now that I look back on it, part of it was my fault; after all I was the one who told you that you could do anything. I just never thought in a million years that you would do something like this. At least one thing is clear to me now: you are either really smart and brave, or really dumb and crazy. And I am leaning towards the latter."
Daniel didn't know what to say. He only remembered not wanting to disappoint her by losing over and over. He'd wanted to win really bad, just so that he could show her there was hope for him. Just to prove himself to her.
Perhaps, she sensed this as well, because she supported him up and patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"Listen, even though your technique wasn't the best, at least you landed a hit on me. And the fact that you were willing to go that far just to accomplish your goal goes to show that you are willing to change. At least you didn't give up."
"Yeah, for whatever that's worth." He muttered.
"Come on, you can cheer up. And yeah, don't think about this later in the day. You will only end up making yourself look bad somehow. Again, you didn't do bad. Just that you shouldn't be willing to sabotage yourself to beat your enemy."
"Thanks, um...ma'am?"
"Don't mention it. Also don't call me ma'am with that much uncertainty."
The two of them walked back up, going through one of the secret gates, climbing several flights of stairs lit by old fashioned light bulbs, giving the whole passage an ancient feel. That feel was, however completely killed as soon as the two of them entered a main corridor guarded by 4-5 burly looking guards. Silently, they went back up to the top, Daniel struggling to keep up.
Once on top, Penelope said, "You are recovering from falls better than before. Have you been falling around a lot?"
"Well, I kinda fell down the stairs while submitting the last of my papers to the Principal." Daniel replied. He didn't mention that he was actually pushed down; he didn't want her to intervene, even though he doubted that Penelope would actually do that. He just wanted her to train him so that he could take care of these people himself. Marcus, Cecile, Bartemius...
"That's unfortunate." Said Penelope, "We should also start working on your balance once we are done with this Imperium adaption training."
"Imperium adaption?"
"Basically getting your body adapted to another Imperium."

She walked to the other side of the ring again, and simply stood there, as if waiting for him to approach.
Water form manipulation...that was her Imperium according to Liz. He remembered what Darius had said about her as well. Her incredibly versatile Imperium....
What possible measure could his body and Imperium take against an opponent such as this? This Imperium was ridiculous. The pain from the weights was numbing his ability to think straight again. It hadn't ever disappeared, but it had gradually ebbed away. Now it was back, as great as before. He tried to breath easier, but all he could do was inhale and exhale constrictedly.
Blindly, he ran forward. But something was weird. Though his legs ached, he wasn't feeling any weight. His body felt lighter, way lighter than before. He felt a strange power surge through him. The kind of power which he had never felt before. His body surged forward faster than he could control. The graying sky had enveloped the surroundings in shadows, and he couldn't see where he was goin-
"We are not running in a marathon. Where are you going?" Said Penelope, as Daniel felt a strong force pull him back.
He blinked. He wasn't in the ring. Both of them were much ahead of the ring.
"Your body is starting to shed it's human characteristics and embracing the semi mortal physiology." She said, smiling slightly, "I have witnessed explosive growth before, but in your case..." Her voice trailed off into silence, as Daniel stared at her, completely bewildered.
"What happened just now?" He asked.
"You took off like a jet and ran faster than a car." She replied, "And with those weights as well. That's no easy feat for a newbie. You can grow stronger in no time."
"Rea- really?" He asked in a small voice.
"Well, it really depends on your mindset, more than anything. With the right mindset, you can do anything. But for now, let's continue on with that Imperium training."
She led him back to the ring and went to stand on the other side herself.
"Just try to attack as best as you can. I will be using my Imperium and try to keep you pushed back." She said.
"Right, got it." He replied.
Once again, both of them took a stance. Daniel thought about how he'd surged forward at super speed just now. A part of him was having trouble believing that he'd done that. Another part of him was screaming at him to do it again. But would he be able to? Subconsciously he let his leg slide forward, and at once, pushed forward with all his might. Once again, a strange strength surged through him. His legs vibrated under him and he shot forward, not as fast as before, but still faster than he'd ever moved in his life. Momentarily surprised at this new speed, he directed himself to right where Penelope was standing and struck out with his fist.
WOOSH!
He was completely blind. And he couldn't breath. How dense had he been to think that he would be able to hit Penelope just by charging forward? He never learned from his mistakes.
He was surrounded by a mass of water. Holding his breath, he looked around, only to see darkness. He tried kicking out with his legs and swimming up. Yes, that's what he was gonna do. Almost as soon as he kicked out, the water pushed him back and began to spin him around in a whirlpool. His lungs felt like they were going to burst and the pressure the water was exerting on his skin made him feel like he was going to be crushed.
Just then, the mass of water began to subside in a torrent and he fell out to the ground with a painful thud.
"Are you ok?" Came Penelope's muffled voice from over him, "I didn't go overboard, did I?"
Daniel hadn't realised, but his eyes were closed. He slowly opened them. It was really dark to make out anything. He could barely see Penelope's outline.
"Hey! Are you ok?" She said again, in the same muffled voice.
"Yeah, I am ok." Said Daniel, in a distant voice, getting to his feet and rubbing his eyes. He looked around as his vision cleared. They were standing in a huge puddle, and of course, he was completely drenched. Strands of his hair stuck to his forehead.
Suddenly, Penelope shook his shoulder.
"Are you even listening to me?" She said.
Daniel frowned. Had she been talking to hi-
He shook his head from side to side as the water exited his ears.
"Yeah, sorry." He said guiltily, "Come again?"

As it turned out, Penelope had used one of her weakest attacks on him; enclosed him in a sphere of water. And that had left him in a weak enough state that they had to end training right then. However, that attack had been all that was needed to let Daniel's Imperium Adapt to it. Drenched and fatigued, Daniel followed Penelope back down to her office, just as some distance away, a siren sounded.
"I think it's time for his shift." Said Penelope as the officers patrolling the top of the wall began to make their way downstairs through the staircases.
"You can't tell me who he is?" Asked Daniel wonderingly.
"It's wiser to keep his identity a secret from outsiders." Said Penelope shrugging.
Daniel nodded. He was still thinking about his momentary burst of strength while fighting Penelope. He'd moved way faster than he'd ever moved before. Were the affects of the training finally making a difference?
His stomach grumbled loudly. Damnit. He hadn't eaten anything since this afternoon.
As if reading his mind, Penelope said, "Do you want me to get you something to eat?"
"Yeah, that would be great." Said Daniel thankfully.
She nodded and began rummaging through the bag she'd gotten from her office. Daniel's mouth watered in anticipation as he thought about the chocolate Liz had gotten him in the forest. Penelope held out something for him and Daniel took it with a word of thanks.
A carrot.
Well, now wasn't the time to complain. And Penelope was already chomping on another one herself, so he didn't feel like complaining much either.
"So can you create water with your Imperium?" He said as they got to her car.
"In a way." She said, "Like Darius Rowse, I can't create the matter I control. I just use what's already there. For example, water is everywhere. I can just use water present in the atmosphere and increase it's volume. I can multiply the matter I control, as multiplication of pre-existing matter can be achieved by masterful use of Imperium. But creation out of nothing cannot be achieved."
"Right," said Daniel, "but theoretically, you can create a sea out of a drop of water?"
"Yes. I haven't ever tried, but I probably can." She said.
There was silence for the rest of the drive, only broken by honks and Arthur's purrs as he slept in Daniel's lap. Eventually, they reached the campus gates and Daniel got out.
"I will send Arthur tomorrow again." Penelope said as Daniel got out of the car.
"Sure thing, but is he even allowed on campus?" Said Daniel.
"Yes, he is. But it wouldn't be a problem if he wasn't. It's the start of the summer. You can do anything and get away with it. Don't get any ideas though." She said the last part with a warning tone.
"Don't worry. The last thing I want is to start trouble here." He said.
Penelope just nodded and drove away. Daniel didn't stand around either. He was tired and hungry. Hungry enough to consider eating the dorm food without a second thought. Anyway, it's not like he had the money to eat out.
The guard opened the gate for him and Daniel began making his way back to his dorm building slowly. In the distance, he could see a couple of people walking around the campus grounds. He thought about how he'd spent most of the evening with Davy and Sandra. They'd had a lot of fun too. With a pang, Daniel also remembered the girl who had pushed him down the stairs this evening. Why would anyone do that? Perhaps, before today, he would have thought long and hard about it, but right now, he wasn't feeling like it. And anyway, the answer was too clear. Like Penelope had said, use your head where you need it. He didn't need to think about these things now.
There were also these weights on him. And he wasn't getting used to them too much. But still, necessary. He needed to do all the training possible if he had to beat Cecile in two weeks.

He'd been walking so absentmindedly he hadn't even realised he was at his dorm building. He looked at it for a second before pushing open the glass door and entering in. The lobby was completely deserted, in contrast to the first time he'd come here with Darius. It had been filled with people then.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a heated exchange from the corridor on the left, the one through which the flight of stairs leading to his dorm room was.
He had no idea what the commotion was about, but the noises were growing sharper by the minute. He stood rooted to the spot, straining to not eavesdrop; to just walk away without being nosy for once. He didn't want his curiosity to get the better of him and get into trouble because of that. He inhaled deeply. One, two, three....
With that, he broke into a brisk walk (or as brisk as he could manage since the weights were still killing him) and made his way outside. He had planned to take a shower and then head to the mess for some food. But maybe he should head straight to the mess and take the shower afterwards. Yes, that would keep him out of trouble. But still, in the back of his head he had a nagging feeling-a feeling of growing unease-that somehow he was linked to this debate whose sounds were still audible even though he was outside the building. He paused. He was just outside the front door. Was he overthinking about this? Of course he was. It was one of his worst habits. On top of that, he was being so self centred that he had basically come to the conclusion that he was the subject of this debate even though he most probably had nothing to do with it. Maybe, he'd reckoned this because for the past few days, he hadn't been able to discard what Bartemius had said about him being a 'one of a kind case'.
But this in no way meant that he was always a part of the discussion of two people he had nothing to do with. He pushed open the door again and trodded inside in his painfully slow manner. He would go up, have his shower and head down to the mess. Without much of an afterthought, he walked into the corridor to the left, behind the huge front desk which Daniel didn't know who was in possession of. He hadn't seen anyone sitting behind it since he had come here. Maybe, they only sat here during working hours of school. He kept walking, glancing sideways at intervals so as to maybe catch a glimpse of something unusual or unexpected since places like these from works of fiction always had some twists.
However, there was nothing to see other than the plain, white walls. He walked out of the other end of the corridor which was a recreational room, with little to do with recreation. It was a hall with a small counter in one corner and some boardgames on the shelves behind it, there boxes torn and tattered. A deflated football lay in the middle of the room, showing signs of neglection.
He had been so absorbed in his observations that he had almost forgotten about the voices, still only barely comprehensible. But he ignored that and walked up the stairs. He had somewhat gotten used to this pain from staircases, but he still had to climb five floors, and he wasn't too sure of his knees. He had climbed up to his room earlier today, but that hadn't been pleasant at all. The pain had made him so drowsy he had almost fallen back and broken his neck. Liz would obviously fuss over him in this state, he thought with a small smile.
But the pain hadn't been the only out of the place factor of the day. In fact, there had been a multitude of unexpected occurrences, the first one involving Darius. He had heard Darius's name mentioned time and again by people other than Liz when he had come here. Now given his status as the rank 5 of Anoterose Daniel figured it wasn't unusual to hear the mention of his name. But the weird thing was the tone of the people who mentioned his name. He remembered Davy and Cecile talking about him undertaking some investigation but it wasn't clear to him what the investigation had been. Davy had mentioned something about a dwarf or something earlier today. Sandra had avoided the topic entirely, saying that she didn't want to talk about "that Darius Rowse" at all, leaving Daniel extremely puzzled. Was Darius a really infamous figure? Then, during his Planar Basics class after the break, Hugh Soto had actually called the teacher out of the class, and on being asked why, he'd simply said Rowse's investigation. Something was really weird about this whole situation. He didn't want to think like that, but Darius was starting to look something of a shady figure.
He was on the fourth floor now. Finally, just one more floor and he would get there. The voices were quieter, and more calculated now, as if the people talking were trying to be more civil. Daniel took a deep breath, and climbed up to the fifth floor. He turned towards the direction of his room and stopped very abruptly, surprised at the scene before him.
On the other end of the hallway stood Darius Rowse with Bartemius and Hugh Soto. Bartemius and Darius were holding each other's collars and their fists were raised, aimed directly at each other's faces. Hugh Soto was in his old bald man form and was helplessly holding onto their arms.
"Daniel!" Said Hugh Soto in a wheezy voice, "Help me break them up!"
Daniel trodded towards them silently, arms raised. The three of them stared at him in a strange manner in a weird manner and it occurred to him that he must be looking extremely comical to these people. Instead, he stopped nervously and said, "What's even happening here?"
At that, Bartemius scoffed.
"Liz Brown's lapdog," he said as Daniel instantly felt anger bubbling in his stomach, "insists on searching the school from the inside out because apparently someone made a bogus report of a dwarf to the police."
"It wasn't a bogus report," growled Darius, and Daniel was surprised to see that he was actually foaming at the mouth. He hadn't ever thought that Darius could ever get this angry. "They had proof!"
"New technology allows us to fake proof of things rather easily, doesn't it?" Said Bartemius mockingly.
"You are impossible, old man." Replied Darius stepping away from him, "Fine, I wouldn't return. You can regret this later this year."
"You will be the one with regrets after this year is over with." Said Bartemius coolly, "After the certified patriots take over Faction Dragon-"
"That's enough, Bartemius!" Said Hugh Soto, as Darius's expression turned murderous.
"Xander, escort Rowse outside at once! Just do it, I say!" He said as Daniel began to protest-he didn't wanna have to climb up five floors again.
But it was no use. The principal seemed to have his mind set onto this. Daniel grabbed Darius's sleeve and tugged at it since he wasn't strong enough to pull him along.
The two of them made their way out of the building, neither speaking to the other. Daniel was somewhat glad that for once they were walking in silence because of how Darius had burst out up there. It had been really unnerving to see someone as chill as Darius lose it. But Daniel obviously didn't know him well enough know if this was usual for him. It certainly didn't seem that way. But he wasn't really sure. After he had witnessed the change in Nathan's attitude and everything, he wasn't sure of anything. He knew he probably ought to say something reassuring to Darius, but he just didn't know what. And on the other hand, the man really didn't look like he wanted to hear anything. The two of them walked out of the building and Daniel was about to head back inside when he heard a loud boom which made his hair stand on an end. He turned to see a uniformed Elizabeth Brown afloat a few feet away. She landed to her feet lightly.
"Sorry, I came here as soon as I got free." She said addressing Darius, sounding a bit guilty. It seemed like she hadn't noticed Daniel yet. "Tell me, where-"
"It's no use, Lizzy." Said Darius sighing, "Thanks for coming her though. But you should probably return."
"Oh c'mon! You are gonna give u-"
"Yes. For now, that is the only option I have." Said Darius clearly. Daniel couldn't help but notice that he was looking down, not meeting Liz's gaze. She was still looking at him, her expression sad.
"And you? Did something happen to you as well?" She said suddenly, leaning to one side to properly look at Daniel. He hadn't realised that he had stood rooted to the spot for some time now.
"Oh, no! I am good. The principal just wanted me to lead him out." Said Daniel.
"Right." Said Liz, "I would have stood around to chat, but, well...." Her voice trailed off as she indicated to Darius.
"Yeah, no. I get it." Said Daniel.
"Ok then. I will drop by." She moved towards Darius, set a hand on his shoulder and began to lead him out saying something about eating out, the latter still staring at the ground.

He stood panting in front of the door to his room. Please let Davy be inside, he thought to himself. He ought to be back, right?
It had just occurred to him that he didn't have a spare key to his room, hence, no way of entering the room until Davy came back. He knocked at the door tentatively. There was a small noise inside the room, and a few seconds later, Davy threw open the door.
"Oh, hey. You back from your training?" He said by ay of greeting as Daniel entered the room, letting the door fall shut behind him.
"Yeah. It was pretty painful." Daniel replied, slumping down onto his bed, making it creak.
"Yeah well, you are training with Penelope Sherman. What can you expect?" Said Davy.
"Have your parents educated you in the affairs of the semi mortal world since your childhood?" Asked Daniel.
"Yeah. They made me read Anoterose Times every morning after I turned ten." Replied Davy, "Penelope Sherman and Nathan Kyle were almost always on the front page. And they were about 13 or 14 then." He gave a rueful chuckle, "Young genius, bravest aspiring soldier, that is what they called them."
"Jeez. They became that popular that early?" Asked Daniel.
"No offense, but Penelope Sherman is the only respected member connected to the Xanders. Or so Cecile tells me."
"When did you find out about Cecile and her grandfather? Like, about her grandfather being a....victim of the breaking of the sworn protection oath?"
"The night you moved in." Said Davy, "When she sent you and Bruce out."
"Did you....how did you feel?" Asked Daniel, feeling that he was touching on a sensitive topic.
Now, Davy turned and frowned at him, "Why do you care so much. I mean, no offense, but these questions about Cecile..."
Daniel thought about this. Why, indeed was he asking about Cecile's reasons for hostility? Why did he care about that?
"It's because I am unsure." He said, finally, "I am gonna fight her in two weeks. But without knowing her reasons for her animosity against me, it makes my reason to fight her all the more vague. I mean, it's like I have to know exactly what I have to disprove. Does she have a genuine reason to hate me, or is it just that she is a victim of mob mentality."
Davy was silent at this. Then, he said, "Well, according to her, her grandfather wouldn't have had to go to earth and endure all that suffering in his old age had Samuel Xander not saved Joseph Brown and hence, hadn't forced the government to dispel the sworn protection oath. He could have become the faction leader himself and continued fighting, hence keeping the sworn protection oath in place."
"But couldn't they have changed Joseph Brown from the position of faction leader?" Daniel asked exasperated.
"Immediate replacements were impossible. At that time, in many ways, the country was at war with itself. The government could only dispel the sworn protection oath. He only retired after a month of searching for a new leader. But the faction couldn't just withdraw. They had to keep everyone in place. So Joseph Brown, for that month, had to lead from the headquarters. Had they kept the sworn protection oath in place, he would have died due to his inability to save anyone and Samuel's sacrifice would have been in vain. So the only thing they did was they dispelled the sworn protection oath. The then leader of Faction Leopard was Cecile's grandfather. Well, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the old man lost his mind and went on a rampage during battles. Taking no prisoners, killing civilians and letting his own men die. You see how it was? He was no longer required to use his Imperium to protect. Only to kill."
"And he was exiled after he killed his own men." Said Daniel, finally understanding. "But-"
"I know what you are thinking." Said Davy grimly, "Why would Cecile side with someone like that? After all, I have told you how she is a really good person. She is a great person. Honestly. She does have a strong sense of justice-"
"I can't believe that." Said Daniel, "I am sorry, but I can't believe that-"
"Please let me finish." Said Davy, "Please Daniel. I know Cecile. She...she might be a bit unkind from time to time. A bit hot headed. But in truth, she is really caring. What happened to Sandra was an accident. She honestly hadn't been meaning to hurt her that much-"
"Only enough to induce trauma-"
"Ok! I am not done!" Said Davy loudly, surprising Daniel. For the first time, Daniel could see how much Davy really cared about Cecile. About her position. Was it true that she had worked hard to get where she was? Liz had mentioned the same thing. Was he really seeing the incomplete picture.
"Fine," said Daniel, "Finish up. What is possibly it that you can say to defend her."
"Cecile doesn't know what her grandfather did." Said Davy without a second thought as Daniel stared in amazement.
"Her grandfather didn't tell her that." He repeated, "She only knows that because of a cruel man; Samuel Xander, her grandfather had lost everything. Because of him he couldn't save his comrades. That was the lie he fed to her for years."
Daniel felt stunned.
"And you knew about it?" Asked Daniel.
"Only after doing research." Said Davy sadly, "I mean, there weren't many sources to do the research from. Factions are a critical part of our political landscape since they are, in one sense, the political parties of our country with the faction members being representatives. Hence, they have control over the media. City Omega currently is under the rule of Faction Dragon. But back in the day, the Faction in power was Faction Leopard. They must have taken down every credible record from the databases in order to preserve the image of their faction. Liz confirmed everything, though. Of course, being the Faction Leader of Faction Hawk, she must have had access to that intel. Whether Cecile knows of this and is just turning a blind eye to the proof, or whether she is truly clueless, I don't know."
"But I thought factions were just organisations which led-"
"Dude. Even I don't fully understand politics. It goes over my head. Don't ask me all this. Even though I have been exposed to this world for a long time, I am still just as recent as you. If you are curious, you should ask someone more learned."
"Right," said Daniel, thinking about Penelope. Then, something struck him from earlier in the evening.
"Do you know what the certified patriots are?" He asked Davy.
"It's the first political party and the party in power, led by a secretive, smaller group of people. Karstum is one of the members. I read that they are in a tough spot right now; the opposition has been attacking them left and right." Said Davy with a shrug.
Daniel just nodded.
As he headed down to the mess area, he realised that there was something that was bothering him about the Siege Factions. Was it the fact that they were involved in politics or something else? He didn't know much about history or anything related to the real world system. He was aware of the fundamentals, sure, but he failed to see the bigger picture when it came to seizing power through politics. Was that why the Siege Factions were a part of politics? That is what politics was about, right? Seizing power?
But the involvement of military organisations in democracy didn't strike him as right. Military organisations should strictly be concerned with military affairs. They should be organisations free of political agendas. Should he head to the computer lab and do some research? Or should he just ask someone else. Bartemius? No way. He wasn't gonna go to that man. He just wanted a general picture of the landscape.
Maybe, talking to Penelope tomorrow was the right call. She always exuded the air of a very smart person. Yeah, he would go talk to her.
He gulped down the mess food without a second thought. It was impossible to tell what it all was. Who was in charge of cooking in this place?
He headed back after some time, and just slumped onto his bed. Davy was, as always, suddenly missing. Daniel had no idea where the guy went all the time. He turned over, and realised that it was near impossible to go to sleep. Even though it wasn't as bad as this morning, the pain still made him feel like his bones were on fire.
He closed his eyes and tried to force himself to sleep. No good. Closing his eyes just made him more aware of his pain and just made him imagine the training he would have to do tomorrow.
He heard the door swing open and Davy walking in.
"Daniel? You up?" He called.
"Yeah." Said Daniel turning over. The other guy was walking carefully, holding a glass mug of what looked like mud in his hand.
"This is a concoction for dreamless sleep. Doc's personal recipe. I figure you might need this."
Daniel stared.
"You went to the doc to get this for me." He said.
"Yep." Said Davy.
"I don't get it." Said Daniel somewhat frustrated, "I know you said you consider me a friend but we haven't even known each other for that long. Why would you go out of your way to fetch me something I didn't even ask for? Not that I am not grateful." He added hastily, "It's just that, what do you have to gain from this?"
"Can't I do something for my roommate without thinking of my personal gain?" Said Davy.
Daniel raised an eyebrow at this.
"Ok, fine." Replied the other guy, sighing, "I do have something to gain from helping you. Look, I know you, Bruce and Miss Brown might look at my fight with Cecile as a small argument or just a disagreement. And it is that, to some extent. But the truth is," he took a breath and looked down at the floor, "the truth is that she has been one of the only people to care about me in a long time. And I just really wanted to help her too. The problem is that she has let her sense of superiority get to her head. And if she continues this way, she might lose everything she has worked hard to get. You know how Miss Brown reacted when she found out Cecile was being unreasonable. But that isn't who Cecile is. I know her. But at the same time, someone needs to pull her out of her mindset of looking down on people. And for that," he paused, looking up at Daniel, "she needs to be beaten by someone she sees as inferior to her. And you are the perfect guy for that. Look, I am sincerely sorry for dragging you into my disagreement with her. But-"
"No, I get you." Said Daniel nodding. He wasn't gonna admit it out loud, but Davy's tendency to help Cecile had moved him just a bit. But there was one thing he didn't get.
"Why can't you fight her yourself?" He asked. "Why me?"
"I told you, didn't I? She looks down on you, among others, but you are the only one out of all of them who can beat her. You are the only one who can teach her that the ones she thinks are inferior to her can fight back too. Plus," he paused again, considering what he should say next, "I believe that you would have wanted to fight her anyway, given how she has treated you."
"When did you place this bet, by the way?" Asked Daniel, "Not on the day I arrived, right?"
"No, while you were in the infirmary after fighting Cecile." Said Davy, "Speaking of which, have you acquired any new Imperiums?"
"Not yet, no. Infact, I think even foresight has ebbed away." He said, "I did fight Penelope, though. So I might get a response to waterform manipulation by tomorrow. Can you check if there's anything in the database?"
"Foresight has ebbed away?" Asked Davy, "Maybe, that's because it's only gonna have effect against warp hit from now on. Not every surprise attack. Of course, if that were the case, you would be invincible."
"Yeah, that would have been fun." Said Daniel.
He took the mug from Davy and choked down the liquid with a plugged nose. It wasn't as bad as it had looked. It was mostly like thicker water.
Immediately, Daniel felt drowsy, he went over to lay down on his bed and passed out before he could think about anything else.